I'm not a huge fan of Sony's software loadout, either. The drop-down menu at the top of the screen is distracting and superfluous--Windows 7 already has application launching from its own toolbar at the bottom. Sony's VAIO Care application is a good way to keep your system up to date, but Sony's Media Gallery and photo apps don't work any better than more-common software. Sony also bundles in Skype, Arcsoft Webcam Companion, PowerDVD, Office 2010 trail, and Norton Internet Security trail. The last of these is a common annoyance on modern PCs that every laptop maker would do well to avoid; it does a fine job of protecting users from viruses, but it slows performance and nags you incessantly until you either fork over your money or uninstall it. Overall, it's not a good customer experience when you've just spent more than two grand on a new laptop.

These are relatively minor shortcomings, however. The software is easy to remove if you don't care for it, and the typing and pointing experience is by no means poor. The VAIO Z provides a road map to the kind of incredible industrial design and advanced technology that Sony would do well to bring to much lower-cost laptops. This ultraportable is so thin, light, and powerful that it's almost like getting next year's laptop today. Fantastic style and power that's easy to carry around make the VAIO Z a winner, even though it costs more than twice as much as most customers are willing to pay for a new laptop.